The Amadeu Antonio Foundation has presented a civil society situation report on current antisemitism in Germany. It can be seen in antisemitic depictions of the founding of the state of Israel, through classically anti-American finger pointing at the Ukraine war to instrumentalization of climate protests for one’s own hatred of Israel. Everyday life without antisemitic glorifications, distortions and appropriations is hardly possible for Jews. The more debates are charged with antisemitism, the smaller safe spaces for those affected become. The Civil Society Situation Report on Antisemitism #11 uses various debates and developments in recent months to show where antisemitism is currently found and where German society must counter it.
These days mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. The fact that the world’s only Jewish state was founded as a shelter shortly after the Shoah in 1948 is not a reason for everyone to celebrate: In Germany, too, the anniversary is being taken as an opportunity to deny Israel’s existence and to portray it as a demonic evil in the region. But the antisemitic anti-Americanism of the peace movement also shows how antisemitism acts as a catalyst.
In contrast to official reports, the civil society overview of antisemitism not only lists criminally relevant antisemitic incidents and trends, but also takes a decidedly civil society and Jewish perspective and analyzes antisemitism from the perspective of those who experience it.
The antisemitism situational picture yields four key observations:
- Antisemitism glorifies the portrayed of events in the context of the founding of the State of Israel. One-sided blame, distortions and omissions fuel hatred of Israel at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, for example.
- Antisemitism simplifies the view of the Russian war of aggression. Both left-wing and right-wing actors meet in anti-Americanism at demonstrations in Berlin and Ramstein. In the process, antisemitic codes such as the image of the string puller are also transferred to the USA.
- Antisemitism appropriates social movements under the guise of so-called criticism of Israel. Parts of the climate movement stand out because they stir up hatred of Israel, while other parts oppose it.
- Antisemitism has been spreading under a democratic cloak for 10 years since the founding of the AfD. Party MPs repeatedly use antisemitic codes such as that of the “globalists,” making antisemitism more articulate in mainstream society.
